Title: END OF THE TRACK

         The Unexpected Visitor: 3

Author: Imagine

Feedback: on list or [email protected]

Webpage: http://www.geocities.com/limagine647

Rating: NC17

Pairing: J/D

Category:   Slash.   ER.    Drama.

Date:   21st August 2005

Series:  The Unexpected Visitor

Season/Spoilers:  Nothing specific

Archive: AlphaGate; Area 52; The Cartouche. Anyone else please ask.

 

Synopsis:   Jack's career and the whole future of SG1 is at stake.  Will Teal'c's wisdom and Daniel's diplomacy be enough?

 

Notes:  Well, here it is, the final part.  I hope you think it worth sticking with me through the last few days!

 

Thanks to my beta, Gateroller as usual for her help and support

 

Warnings:  More emotional angst.....  The NC17 part you can thank my beta for, she said I owed you all a treat for hanging in there!

 

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END OF THE TRACK

The Unexpected Visitor: 3

by Imagine

Sitting quietly in the warm ambience of Teal'c's quarters did a lot to help calm Sam's nerves.  He had offered her a cup of hot tea and let her sip it quietly for a few minutes.

 

He finally broke the silence to ask, "What happened at O'Neill's to disturb you, SamanthaCarter?" and she flinched. Teal'c watched her reaction and he knew what he suspected had indeed happened. 

 

She lifted her eyes to him and saw only understanding and in a flash of insight, rare for her without empirical proof, she realised that Teal'c knew.  He knew! Staring at him, she finally managed, "You knew!  How, I mean...?  God, they told you!"  Her voice shook.

 

"It wasn't necessary to tell me, MajorCarter.  I do not understand this strange concept of ‘do not ask, do not tell’ but O'Neill would never have told me something he could not speak of to you.   Indeed, I could see how things were for myself and I waited for you to understand also, but you only seemed to see what you wished.  I was concerned that one day you would be hurt. "

 

"I don't understand," she said forlornly.  "Why didn't Daniel tell me, we talked all the time, I told him...he knew how I ...hoped."

 

"How could Daniel Jackson tell you without also breaking the rule which bound O'Neill?  How could he admit to having something he knew you wanted but could never have?  How could he do this without hurting you?"

 

"He's still hurt me.  They both have," she replied bitterly.

 

"Have you not hurt yourself more?  Did O'Neill ever tell you anything to lead you to believe you were more than friends?"

 

She wanted to say yes, she opened her mouth willing the words to come but then she snapped it shut on nothing more than silence and pain.  She raised her eyes to her wise friend and shook her head.  "No, he never said anything.  He smiled and flirted, he laughed with me and held me when I needed a hug.  He sat by my bed when I was in pain, held my hand to let me know I wasn't alone."  She dipped her eyes and her voice became wistful.  "But he did all that for Daniel too, didn't he?  More often, more easily, but I closed my eyes to that because I didn't want to admit it.  Didn't want to see that he didn't treat me differently, that I wasn't special, that it was all just ...Jack being Jack.  Only I never called him that, did I?  To me he was always colonel, or sir.  I only called him Jack inside my own head.  Only Daniel called him Jack to his face, he always has.  I don't think I ever heard Daniel call him sir, and he only called him colonel to rile him."

 

Teal'c knew the words weren't really meant for him, she was talking to herself more than confessing her feelings to him.  She had hidden behind her own desires, her own false hopes for far too long and it was a hard and difficult road she now travelled to find the real truth.

 

"I always let myself believe that he was just waiting for the right time, waiting until we could be ourselves, Sam and Jack.  Not the colonel and the major.  But, that's all we ever were..."   

 

Her voice faded and Teal'c needed clarification on one point he couldn't quite understand.

 

"Why then did you go to his home today?  What happened to change your belief that you were only waiting for this 'right' time?"

 

She looked up then as if perhaps remembering she wasn't alone.  She shrugged, "Risk.  Chance.  One mission after another has been too close, this last week we almost died in our own base.  I realised that there might not be a 'right time', that our time could be running out."  She laughed but it wasn't with amusement.  "I went to tell him we shouldn't wait, that love shouldn't be sacrificed for rules.  Obviously a lesson he had already learned well."

 

"Is your anger the product of regret or jealousy?  Do you begrudge DanielJackson the love that you wanted?" He waited, letting her mull over his words.  "Was it reason enough to wish to speak to Hammond?"

 

Sam was shocked, she hadn't realised that Teal'c had seen her going to Hammond's office.  She stared at him, unable to answer.  Unable to admit her confused feelings.

 

"Is it wrong for them to be together?" he asked pointedly.  "Do they have any less right to express themselves, to enjoy each other because they are two men?"

 

"No, no.  It's not that.  I was too angry, too upset to think clearly.  I've never been homophobic and I've always despised that particular rule.  It's ...I thought it would be me.   Never considered it could be ...I never saw a thing, Teal'c nothing.  No clue at all.  Yet you..." she shook her head in disbelief.  "I really was blinkered wasn't I?"

 

"I think more than you realise.  O'Neill was never the man for you."

 

She opened her eyes wide at that and wasn't sure if she was upset or relieved when there was a tentative knock at the door.

 

"Enter," Teal'c said, smoothly rising to his feet.

 

"Teal'c, I'm looking for Sam and someone said..." Daniel stopped when he saw her sitting among the sea of candles.

 

Teal'c glanced between the two faces of his friends, one upset and one embarrassed.  "I will leave you to talk," he said.

 

"Teal'c!" Sam cried as he moved to pass Daniel in the doorway.

 

He turned back and meeting her eyes he gave her a very slight smile and his trademark bow.  "Honesty does not only benefit oneself," he said and then turned to leave, giving Daniel a nod as he left.

 

~~

 

Daniel took a breath and then lowered himself to the floor facing Sam.  He had so much to say and now facing her he didn't have the slightest idea where to begin.  Sam just stared at him, not giving an inch he guessed and he couldn't blame her for it either.

 

Knowing his silence was only making things worse he took a deep breath, "I wish I could think of something to say other than sorry but... it's not enough I know.  I tried... I wanted to...but..." he shook his head.  His attempts to connect with her only seemed to make matters worse.  Honesty, Teal'c had said.  He lifted his head and met her gaze squarely.  "You confided to me how you felt and all the time I loved him too so how could I tell you he was in love with me.  It wasn't my secret to tell and it wasn't one he could share.  I wish it could be different but it..."

 

"I know," she interrupted, her voice low and sounding surprisingly calm to Daniel.  "I wanted to blame you, wanted to rant and scream that it was all your fault, that you should have told me, that he shouldn't have misled me.  Oh, I can blame everyone but when you boil it down to the simple truth, I don't really have anyone to blame but myself.  You didn't take him from me, Daniel; he was never mine.  He was always yours but I was too...too wrapped up in my own desires to see what was really happening.  He was flirting with me but then he flirts with everyone doesn't he, I don't think he even knows he does it half the time.   He was never more than my team leader, maybe a friend," she shrugged and gave a half-smile, "but I was always Carter to him.  I..." she laughed deprecatingly, "I think perhaps I've spent too much time around the military, I need to get my perspective back."

 

Daniel looked at her with a new respect.  "I don't know what to say, Sam...except that Jack told me I should tell you he is ready to retire if that is what you want."

 

"Retire?"  Her face heated up as she remembered how close she had come to reporting him.  She was so grateful now that the general hadn't been in his office.  She would never have been able to forgive herself if she had caused his disgrace and god what would that have done to SG1, to the SGC!  And even after what she had learned today, she still had feelings for him; she knew it would take a while to get a handle on those.  "God, no!  I...to be honest I was very angry and I... " She took a breath.  "I can't deny I... Oh, god, Daniel, I am so ashamed of how I behaved.  Talk about a woman scorned!"

 

"I'm not surprised, Sam and Jack expected you to go to the general. Don't think he thought he deserved any less.  This wasn't easy for him you know.  He fought against it for years but after I..."

 

"After you died one too many times," she smiled.  "I understand.  That was what made me act the way I did today.  He almost died and I thought...." She shrugged and looked at him with huge eyes.  "I think it's going to take me a while to come to terms with this."

 

"I know," he said softly.

 

She took a deep breath, "Tell...the colonel that everything is alright.  If he wants to talk after our downtime...or if he doesn't that's okay too, then it's back to work as normal."

 

"Are you sure you're gonna be alright?"

 

"No, but as a friend of mine says, I will be," she smiled.

 

"Sam," he said softly.

 

"Go, Daniel, put his mind at rest.  I think I'd like to be alone now."

 

He nodded and as she dipped her head he reached out to touch her hair but dropped his hand at the last moment.  Not yet, he decided.

 

~~

 

Teal'c watched as Daniel left his quarters, their gaze locking for a moment and as he saw the relief in his friend's eyes, he felt his own serenity return.

 

He opened his door and saw SamanthaCarter sitting calmly, her eyes closed, her expression peaceful. 

 

As he sat down opposite her, she opened her eyes and smiled at him.  "Thank you, Teal'c, for helping me see clearly.  I think I like myself better now."

 

"I have always liked you SamanthaCarter."

 

Her smile broadened as she closed her eyes again and let her mind drift.

 

~~

 

They were halfway home when Jack turned to Daniel and said, "So you don't think I ought to speak to her about it then?"

 

"Jack, I've already said I think you should leave well alone.  Whatever Teal'c had said to her before I got there had obviously got through to her."

 

"Dark horse, that man," Jack said admiringly.  "You always did say he knew about us."

 

"Yeah, sees everything and says nothing," Daniel smiled.  "Anyhow, as I was saying, she'd accepted our relationship and it seemed she realised that what she thought was between you two had been mostly of her own invention.” 

 

"I still feel I owe her an apology," Jack admitted.

 

"I know and I'm glad you accept that you bear some responsibility for this -- and if I ever see you flirting with anyone ever again, Jack O'Neill, I'm going have to remind you just who you belong to!"

 

"Is that a promise?  Cause I do seem to remember we had some plans for this downtime.  I think I remember a certain archaeologist dressed only in a towel who was dripping on my carpet!"

 

"I was not dripping, I had dried off."

 

"I like you dripping," Jack said huskily.

 

"If you're going to drive faster, keep your hands on the wheel!" Daniel declared shoving Jack's hand off his thigh.

 

So, fifteen minutes later Daniel was indulging in the second shower of the evening but this time Jack didn't wait for him, instead he joined him under the pouring water.

 

Daniel leaned his hands against the tile wall while his lover ran caressing hands over his back following the trail of the cascading water as it ran in rivulets down the crack of his ass.

 

"Oh, Jack stop with the teasing.  I've wanted you all evening.  I was scared that it might be a while before I had you like this again."

 

Jack leaned in and nuzzled his neck, alternating between kisses and licks and then resorting to a bite as he pressed his lubed finger inside his lover. 

 

"Ah, ohgod," Daniel murmured as he automatically widened his stance a little, "More, Jack, I need more."

 

"Shush, wait."  Jack pushed a second finger in alongside the first, opening Daniel up to receive him.  He pressed a little further inside probing, smiling when the younger man sighed and bucked as Jack found what he was searching for.  Quickly lubing himself up, Jack slid inside, inch by inch as Daniel arched his back pushing to meet Jack's steady thrust.  "That's it Danny," he muttered.

 

"Oh, god," Daniel whispered when Jack was fully sheathed inside him.  "I missed this."

 

Jack laughed, "It's only been a week."  Jack wrapped a hand around Daniel's waist and placed the other one against the wall beside Daniel's.

 

"Seems like forever," he murmured in reply.  "Come on, Jack, what you waiting for? Engraved invitation?"

 

"Didn't take long for you to get snippy," Jack grinned, happily pulling out and thrusting back inside, setting up a steady rhythm as Daniel kept up a litany of encouragement interspersed with moans and the odd curse word in a language Jack didn't speak but understood the meaning well enough.

 

The water was pounding on Jack's back even as he was pounding inside his lover.   He felt the trembling begin in Daniel's limbs and he reached down to take his cock in his hand, working it in rhythm with his own movements as he thrust in and out of his lover.  Feeling his own climax gathering he began kissing Daniel's neck again.

 

"Jack, ohgodohgodohgodohgod," Daniel repeated over and over.

 

"Coming, I'm coming," Jack cried and he bit down into the soft flesh of Daniel's shoulder as his orgasm crashed over him, feeling Daniel's interior muscles contract to milk his seed from his body even as Daniel shot all over the tiles.

 

Daniel came back to his senses to find the two of them sliding down the shower cubicle wall as the water still fell, washing away the evidence of their love-making.  Jack was still holding him and Daniel put his arms over those of his lover, holding the man tightly against his back.

 

"Well, nice as this is," Jack muttered into his neck, "I think I'd be happier in bed."

 

"Which is where you were supposed to be waiting for me hours ago," Daniel reminded him. 

 

"Well going there now. You coming?"

 

Daniel laughed, "Give me a few minutes and I'm sure I'll be up for it!"

 

~~

 

A few minutes later they were lying together in bed, Jack's arms tightening around Daniel as they shared a passionate kiss.  Jack pulled away, planting butterfly kisses along Daniel's jaw before leaning back with a sigh.

 

"Jack?" Daniel sensed something was going on in that mind of his.

 

"Just thinking how damn close I came to losing this, to losing everything.  I don't know how I could have been such a fool, Daniel.  I knew, damn it, how she felt about me and I just kept on ..." he sighed.

 

"It's alright, Jack."

 

"No, it isn't, but it will be.  I will make it right for Carter, she deserves nothing less.  She is a damned fine officer and she deserves the best C.O. I can be."  He was quiet for a moment and Daniel just let him process.   "I don't love her Daniel, but I do care about her."  Jack lifted a hand to caress Daniel's face, "And I'll be forever grateful that she let me keep my most treasured possession."

 

 

FIN!!

 

 

Part One    Part Two

 

 

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